Fire at Hamburg hospital leaves 3 dead, 34 injured

Three people died in a fire at a Hamburg hospital on Saturday night. There were also 34 injuries, one of whom was still in critical condition on Sunday. 18 people were seriously injured and 15 were slightly injured. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.

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The fire at the Marienkrankenhaus hospital in the Hohenfelde district prompted a major fire and rescue operation. According to the fire department, the incident commander triggered a so-called mass casualty incident, and subsequently, in addition to a large fire brigade contingent, various rescue teams and disaster relief units from aid organizations were alerted to the hospital.

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When emergency services arrived, a patient room on the ground floor of the hospital was already fully ablaze. The fire threatened to spread through the exterior facade into the window above. According to the fire department, people also reported being at the windows of several rooms above the fire site because they could no longer leave their rooms due to the smoke. They were then evacuated via turntable ladders, portable ladders, and the corridors of the individual wards.

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Since the fire broke out in a geriatric ward with predominantly elderly and mobility-impaired patients, the victims were rescued through the corridors wearing protective hoods. Emergency personnel initially treated the people on site; some were also taken to the hospital's emergency room. Two injured people were transported to other Hamburg hospitals.

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The fire department was able to quickly bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to other patient rooms. Ventilation measures due to the heavy smoke development lasted for hours. A total of 220 emergency personnel were involved in the operation. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, called for improved fire protection in hospitals following the fire in Hamburg. "There needs to be a legal requirement to install independent fire extinguishing systems in all patient and staff rooms," Brysch explained.  

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Since the often immobile patients cannot escape the danger zone without assistance, and sleeping people cannot smell the smoke, sprinkler systems could become lifesavers. "The states have to bear the investment for the retrofitting." The Marienkrankenhaus is, according to its own information, one of the largest denominational hospitals in Northern Germany, with around 100,000 patients per year.